Snow and ice significantly slow your car’s response rate, making winter one of the most dangerous times of year for drivers. Exercise these tips to stay safe on the road this winter.
Keep your distance
The more time you give your vehicle to respond to your commands the better. “Since a vehicle reacts more slowly in snow, you should keep a longer following distance than you normally would. Instead of three to four seconds, stay eight to 10 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you,” cars.usnews.com recommends.
Drive slower than you usually do
Don’t accelerate quickly, don’t brake quickly, don’t pass quickly— basically don’t do anything quickly when you’re driving in the snow! In fact, you may need to drive slower than normal to be safe. If you feel pressured by other drivers to drive fast, let them pass you. Icy spots are not always obvious, and your tires don’t have as much traction as they do on dry roads.
Avoid driving if you can
Snow days are sometimes nature’s way of telling us to do less, so it’s best to avoid driving at all in snowy weather. After all, the fewer cars there are on the road the better. Have to work? Some jobs are able to be done from home, so ask your boss if that’s an option. If you simply must go into work or run an errand on a snow day, take as much precaution as you can to keep you and other travelers safe.